Students
MAS 205 – Introduction to the Cinema
2015 – S1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Dr. Duncan McLean
By appointment
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| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
12cp
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is an introduction to: 1) some of the main theoretical issues and debates that have defined film studies as an area of cultural interest; and 2) some of the key historical moments in classical Hollywood filmmaking and international filmmaking (from the 1940s through to more recent times). Lectures and tutorials, in conjunction with weekly film screenings, consider topics such as the codes, conventions, and aesthetics of film narrative; film genres; film styles; film canons; modes of storytelling; the relation between fiction film and documentary film (and their hybrids).
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Develop an expansive historical knowledge of film theory.
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Demonstrate skills in independent academic research in the discipline, including identifying and using appropriate articles in academic journals.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | 15% | Ongoing |
| Essay One | 20% | 5pm Friday 27th March |
| Essay Two | 40% | 5pm Friday 15th May |
| Film Log | 25% | 5pm Friday 5th June |
Participation
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 15%
Tutorials are compulsory. Students must attend, be punctual for and actively participate in at least 80% of all lectures and tutorials to pass the unit. You must notify your tutor as soon as possible if you believe you may be absent at any stage and you should provide your tutor with evidence of a medical or personal emergency. You will be expected to participate in class discussions as much as possible and you must come prepared to every tutorial having:
a) closely read the required readings
b) attended the screening and lecture
Marking Criteria
- Preparation for class and active participation (by contributing to large and small group discussions and participating in tutorial activities)
- Ability to engage with key concepts and themes covered in readings and lectures in relation to specific films.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
Essay One
Due: 5pm Friday 27th March
Weighting: 20%
1000 word essay.
Topics will be distributed in class and on iLearn.Your essay should demonstrate wide reading and in-depth critical analysis. You are expected to draw upon the weekly readings that relate to your chosen essay topic as well as find other relevant academic sources. You should base your research on academic journal articles and books.
Marking Criteria
- Understanding and critical engagement with key readings in the unit
- Comparison and analysis of key concepts in the unit
- Critical analysis of relevant film/s
- Independent research within the discipline
- Use of research and reading to support the argument
- Organisation of argument including clear addressing of the question
- Clarity of communication
- Accurate and appropriate referencing
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Develop an expansive historical knowledge of film theory.
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Demonstrate skills in independent academic research in the discipline, including identifying and using appropriate articles in academic journals.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Essay Two
Due: 5pm Friday 15th May
Weighting: 40%
A 2000 word essay.
For your major essay you must choose from one of the topics/questions distributed in class and posted on iLearn. Your essay should demonstrate wide reading and in-depth critical analysis. You are expected to draw upon the weekly readings that relate to your chosen essay topic as well as other relevant academic sources.
Marking Criteria
- Understanding and critical engagement with key readings in the unit
- Comparison and analysis of key concepts in the unit
- Critical analysis of relevant film/s
- Independent research within the discipline
- Use of research and reading to support the argument
- Organisation of argument including clear addressing of the question
- Clarity of communication
- Accurate and appropriate referencing
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Develop an expansive historical knowledge of film theory.
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Demonstrate skills in independent academic research in the discipline, including identifying and using appropriate articles in academic journals.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Film Log
Due: 5pm Friday 5th June
Weighting: 25%
The film log takes the form of five brief (250 word entries). You need to write an entry for a film from each of the four modules (e.g. one entry on a film from Module: Key Terms Wk 1-4, one from a film shown in Module Two: Politics of Representation Wk 5-7, one from Module: Non-Fiction Wk 8-9 and one from Module: Canons & Auteurs Wk 10-13). The fifth entry can be on any film from throughout the unit, however none of the entries should be on a film discussed in your two essays.
Each entry should consider one or two issues, of your choosing, raised by the week’s readings in relation to the film. The entry should not recount the film or the reading but should offer a concise critical analysis.
Marking Criteria
- Understanding of key themes, ideas and concepts in theories of film
- Comparison and analysis of key concepts in the unit
- Ability to interpret and discuss film form
- Attention to themes, genres, form, or cultural context of specific films
- Use of readings to support claims
- Organisation of film log, including at least five entries with an entry from each of the four modules (with none of the entries replicating topics covered in essay one or essay two).
- Clarity of communication
- Accurate and appropriate referencing
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Delivery and Resources
CLASSES
Screenings: Tuesday 3-5pm Y3A T1
Lectures: Tuesday 5-6pm Y3A T1
Tutorials: For tutorial times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2014/. This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations.
Please note, you must attend the tutorial you are enrolled in. If you wish to change your tutorial time you can do so via e-student. Your tutor/lecturer will not be able to change your tutorial enrolment.
Tutorials begin in Week Two.
ATTENDANCE
Students are required to attend a screening, a one hour lecture and a one hour tutorial every week.
Students are required to prepare for tutorials by having attended the lecture and screening and having done the week’s readings and prepared questions and notes.
REQUIRED READING
Required readings will be available through iShare on the Library website.
RECOMMENDED READING
There is a list of further recommended reading and viewing for each topic - please refer to iLearn.
TECHNOLOGIES USED AND REQUIRED
Lectures will be recorded and available on iLearn. Details on readings, assessments and screenings will be available on iLearn. Students are expected to regularly check iLearn and their MQ email addresses for announcements.
ASSESSMENTS
You must complete all components of this course in order to pass the unit. Work submitted late without extension and/or proof of illness or serious misadventure (this does not include having to work) will incur a 5% penalty for each day after the due date.
Assignment Submissions
All written work must be submitted to turnitin, via the link on iLearn. Please make sure your full name, student number and tutor's name appears on the first page of your document. Please record your tutor's email address at the beginning of semester and questions about MAS205 should first be directed to your tutor. Students should ensure that they can receive emails sent to their MQ email address.
Special Consideration Policy
http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html
Applying for Special Consideration
Students applying for Special Consideration circumstances of three (3) consecutive days duration, within a study period, and/or prevent completion of a formal examination must submit an on-line application with the Faculty of Arts. For an application to be valid, it must include a completed Application for Special Consideration form and all supporting documentation.
To submit a Special Consideration request, you will need to:
1. Log in at ask.mq
2. Click 'Special Consideration' from the 'Submit' menu on the left
3. Fill in the required fields as prompted. Once you have completed filling out the information, please click on 'Submit'.
Unit Schedule
For detailed schedule including set and recommended readings please refer to iLearn.
MODULE ONE: KEY TERMS
Week 1: Introduction to MAS205, Film and its Contexts (no tutorial)
Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder: 1950: USA: 110mins)
Week 2: Film and Narrative (tutorials begin)
Fargo (Joel Coen: 1996: USA: 98mins)
Week 3: Film and Genre
Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars) (Sergio Leone: 1964: Italy: 99mins)
Week 4: Film and Sound
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock: 1960: USA: 109mins)
MODULE TWO: POLITICS OF REPESENTATION
Week 5: Australian Contexts
Samson & Delilah (Warwick Thornton: 2009: Australia: 100mins)
Week 6: Feminism on Film
Orlando (Sally Potter: 1992: UK: 94mins)
- Mid Semester Break -
Week 7: Mental Illness in Movies
Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell: 2012: USA: 122mins)
MODULE THREE: NON-FICTION FILM, REALITY & THE REAL
Week 8: Modes of Documentary
The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris: 1988: USA: 103mins)
Week 9: Diary Films and Autobiography
Tarnation (Jonathon Caouette: 2003: USA: 88mins)
MODULE FOUR: CANONS & AUTEURS
Week 10: Critiquing Canons
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles: 1941: USA: 119mins)
Week 11: The French New Wave
À bout de souffle (Breathless) (Jean-Luc Godard: 1960: France: 90mins)
Week 12: Art Cinema
Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni: 1966: UK: 111mins)
Week 13: Auteurs and Wong Kar Wai
Chung Hing sam lam (Chungking Express) (Wong Kar Wai: 1994: Hong Kong: 98mins)
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Additional information
MMCCS Session Re-mark Application http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/download/?id=167914
Information is correct at the time of publication
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
Assessment tasks
- Essay One
- Essay Two
- Film Log
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Assessment tasks
- Participation
- Essay One
- Essay Two
- Film Log
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Develop an expansive historical knowledge of film theory.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
Assessment tasks
- Participation
- Essay One
- Essay Two
- Film Log
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Develop an expansive historical knowledge of film theory.
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Demonstrate skills in independent academic research in the discipline, including identifying and using appropriate articles in academic journals.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Assessment tasks
- Participation
- Essay One
- Essay Two
- Film Log
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Identify key debates, themes and concepts in the broad field of Film Studies.
- Develop an expansive historical knowledge of film theory.
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Demonstrate skills in independent academic research in the discipline, including identifying and using appropriate articles in academic journals.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
Assessment tasks
- Participation
- Essay One
- Essay Two
- Film Log
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Demonstrate skills in independent academic research in the discipline, including identifying and using appropriate articles in academic journals.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Assessment tasks
- Participation
- Essay One
- Essay Two
- Film Log
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Evaluate and distinguish between theoretical positions on film practices and texts.
- Analyse films critically according to themes, genres, form and cultural contexts.
- Evaluate critically and analyse film texts and theories of film in both written form and in verbal discussions.
- Communicate in a manner conforming to accepted academic standards in both written and spoken form
Assessment tasks
- Participation
- Essay One
- Essay Two
- Film Log